3.26.2016

Departure Update

We just wanted to let you know that all students have successfully departed from the program. We want to thank all of the students for their participation on the program, and all of their families and friends who have been following along on their journey.

3.25.2016

New Update

Walking through town to Doña Maria’s house was something extraordinary, in the more literal sense of the word; that is to say, it was a relatively new experience.

Seeing the disparities between the different people in such a small area was eye opening, one house having been more developed and the house next door being a hodgepodge of materials thrown together to form a shelter. But, for the people living in those houses, this is normal, necessary to their lives. So, being able to help in the provision of a more permanent, safe, and comfortable environment was incredible.

We worked in teams on the walls of the house, made of bottles and concrete, steps to the house, and a latrine in the backyard for a more sanitary environment. Wanting to make the day as productive as possible we split our group into 4 sections.  We knew this would be the best way to create a happy and productive environment for the students. Though the day was hot and the work was hard everyone involved with the bottle house worked productively.

Meanwhile, another group explored the community of Caño Dulce where the honey and other products of bees are one of the main economic sources for the people. We spent the day building and painting boxes necessary for the beekeeping, and building structures for vertical gardens.

Not only was it a day spent working hard but was also full of amazing experiences getting to know the children of the community and teaching them new games. The entire day was meaningful in all aspects and was truly a great opportunity for growth.

3.23.2016

Tuesday Blog

Today was a fun mix of a relaxing day and a work day.

Our main event of the day was hiking up a mountain and helping plant crops for reforestation. We started the day by hiking up a mountain in two groups. We had a fun mix of people who were practically experts in hiking as well as some first-timers. Either way, both groups were able to socialize, play around, and exercise while having fun.

The purpose of this time was to experience and appreciate the trek most Dominicans have to go through multiple times a week, or in some extreme cases, even in a day. Through this whole experience we stopped at small houses or villages and learned about their culture and the way they where able to function in society. We also learned about how they had an impact on the environment around them.

After this we went to our volunteer portion of the time, helping plant seeds for reforestation. We’ve come to learn that deforestation is a huge issue in the Dominican Republic, and around the world, and learning about this and methods for prevention was a phenomenal experience for us.

When we finished the hike and the planting, we were able to cool off, even having a chance to go to the beach or pool to cool down. Then, we listened to a speech on environmental security and worked on solving relevant problems in the Dominican.

In total, today was a fun mix of entertainment and learning, and while it was sweaty and hard work, I think I can speak for everyone when I say we all felt like we learned a lot and could more readily relate to the problems in the DR.

3.22.2016 (2nd Post of the Day)

Sunday Blog

Hot, humid, and sweaty– three adjectives that described most of the arrivals’ plane rides over to the Dominican Republic. After a tiring wait in the airport, students came together to relax by the beach. A delicious meal- local beans, rice, and chicken- and orientation activities ended the first night., sending students off to bed to dream of the activities to come.

The next morning, smiling and sleepy faces rode 2 hours to the Haitian “Batey” (community originally established for Haitian sugarcane workers) of La Grúa to finish up a cement “bottle building” (in which the walls contain bottles, cans, and trash), paint schoolhouse walls, eat lunch, and explore.  95˚ weather didn’t deter our students from dumping sand, mixing cement, and playing (and losing) some soccer. They did amazing work! We finished the floor of a building designed to alleviate Haitian-Dominican relations and provide alternative learning programs for Batey residents.

After returning to home base, students cooled off for a couple of hours on the beach and by the poolside, and met staff member Georgio for a talk about our slavery footprint (check yours out at www.slaveryfootprint.org) and the meaning of Human Security. Mentor group assignments, journaling, and reflection about our days took place as the sun went down. Soon after, 46 tired kids hit the sack exhausted after a long day of hard work.

Monday Blog

Today we went to Rio San Juan to snorkel, experience a boat tour, and go to a beach.  Everyone seemed to really enjoy it, and some got to experience something new. For example, getting cornrows done, purchasing artisan goods, and splashing into the pristine blue waters of the Dominican Republic.

We started a little later today, having breakfast at 8:30. We got to try the traditional Dominican foods fried cheese, mashed potatoes, and fruit. Then, we drove about an hour to board a boat tour. We got to see the beautiful Caribbean jungle and sea, enter a cave, and snorkel. Looking at the reef, some of us saw an octopus and a lion fish. Then, we went to a beach where we lounged, swam, shopped, and ate lunch. For lunch, we had chicken, beans, rice, fried plantain, and some people purchased Dominican cookies and coconut water. Dominicans also sold jewelry and wooden statues. Everyone enjoyed the experience of a real Dominican setting.

When we returned back to home base, we relaxed for awhile before dinner, which consisted of rice, mashed potatoes, pork, fruit, fried plantain, and fried eggplant. We got a taste of Dominican culture today and had a lot of fun exploring the country’s touristy destinations. One thought we had was that it was nice to have an adventure day in the beginning of the trip, because everyone got to bond and have a fun experience to get to know each other.

3.22.2016

Group Photo

We wanted to share this group shot from our awesome teen volunteers in the Dominican Republic – enjoy!

3.20.2016

Arrival

Welcome to our program blog for our Dominican Republic: Spring Break Service Adventure program. We’ll be updating this page occasionally when we receive new info from staff in-country.

We just wanted to let you know that all students for the 3.19 session have arrived safely in the DR with staff and are accounted for.

We hope to have more program updates and photos to share with you soon!

3.12.2016 (Updated 3.13.2016)

Arrival

Welcome to our program blog for our Spring Break Service Adventure program in the Dominican Republic. We’ll be updating the blog occasionally when we receive new info from staff in-country.

We just wanted to let you know that as of Sunday, all students have arrived safely in the DR with staff and are accounted for.

We hope to have more updates to share with you soon!

3.14.2016

Day 1

Dear Family and Friends,

Apologies for the delay in our first blog post. The internet at the Home Base went out for a few days, but it should be up and running shortly.

All of the students arrived safe and sound on March 12th, and Jaden who arrived later that night integrated with the rest of the group quickly the next morning. We jumped right into our service projects at a community called Polanco, and did some work on a home using plastic bottles in the foundation. The students tore into the activity with excitement and got a tremendous amount done over 5 hours. Within 3 hours it you would have thought the group had known each other for years, smiles, laughter, and teamwork abound!

The picture below inside of the bus is the students before they departed for the Haitian community of La Grua today, where they will be putting the finishing touches on a community center that was started by the spring break group before this one. At night we have been doing discussions about Leadership and the different elements of human security and how it affects us all. A blog post from the leaders of the day will be uploaded shortly, along with more pictures.

Sincerely,

Carly Sullivan (HQ Staff member observing the Spring Break program)

3.15.2016

Day 2

After having a delicious breakfast of fresh toast, we all left the Home Base for our first project together.

We took a 15 minute ride down to one of the local villages, Polanco. We helped establish the first bottle house in the Dominican Republic for 7 Elements organization (GLA’s local partner) for a woman, named Maria, who has three children. Some of the jobs we did were:

• cement mixing and applying
• cutting and nailing chicken wire
• filling in the walls with water plastic bottles
• nailing chicken wire
• digging a space for a latrine

Afterwards, we enjoyed an authentic Dominican lunch made by a local woman down the road.

After working, we went back home for beach and pool time! After a long day of activities, we had a nice dinner and introduction to our human security and leadership lessons. After getting to know one another and our leaders a bit more, we went to sleep and got ready for a new day!

⇒ Interested in learning what your teen can contribute to the world after GLA? Check out what one of our alumni did to make a difference here. She was even featured on USA Today online!

-Written by: Toma, Lucas, Kayla, and Peyton (our leaders of the day)

3.16.2016

Day 3

This morning, we departed to Dudu at nine o’ clock. After an hour drive, we arrived at Dudu and explained all the rules and expectations. Groups of students participated in a variety of excursions, which included ostrich viewing, swimming, zip-lining, cliff jumping, and cave exploration.

After a couple hours enjoying the various activities, we went to lunch, where we had great food (and some of us even enjoyed some ice cream).

After lunch, we went to our activities for the day. At around 3:30, we left Dudu and came back to the Home Base. Some of us went to the beach while others hung out around the pool , soaking up the sun. This was a great way to cap off the day, as we all had the chance to interact and bond as a group. Overall, it was a great day!

3.17.2016

Two updates today!

Lunch at cano dulce community, building bee boxes with a local organization.

More from our Service Learning Adventure™ in the Dominican Republic

Today marks our official “going over the hump,” adjusting to the routines at the DR! But of course, that doesn’t go without saying how much we love our breakfasts in the mornings (especially the hot chocolate).

After breakfast, we headed to a town called La Grua, which was located 2 hours away from home base among rolling hills and mountains. It was interesting to watch forests of green alternating with tourist resorts and houses of local Dominicans.

La Grua is separated into two parts: a Dominican settlement located at the top of the hill and a batey at the bottom of the hill. A batey is a small settlement where Haitian sugar planters live; however, since demand for sugar cane has decreased, Haitian sugar planters have lost their jobs and live in poverty. The location of these settlements in La Grua highlight the disparity between Dominicans and Haitians. Between the two settlements, we helped lay the floor of a community building to be shared by the communities and bridge the disconnect.

Our group began the rather tedious, but rewarding, task of mixing cement for the flooring while some toured the school in the Dominican settlement and painted its doors. We were able to interact with the children, playing soccer and chatting with them in Spanish. After a great lunch prepared by a local family, we headed down the hill to the batey, which looked drastically different from the Dominican settlement.

The signs of poverty was dramatically evident in the community from the housing and lack of nearby access to services such as clinics and schools (the one in La Grua is located in the Dominican side). Here, we were able to interact with the community through a game of soccer and learn firsthand about systemic poverty.

Day 5

Waking up to the smell of pancakes reminded us of home this morning. After breakfast, we headed out to the bee farm.

After taking a tour of the apiary, we split into groups to build and paint bee boxes. Others built vertical gardens out of pallets and played basketball with people from Cano Dulce.

We returned to home for a dance class, taught by Hansel. To finish the day we had a delicious meal, that included a crowd favorite, mango.

3.18.2016

Day 6

To start the day off, our group ate omelets, dry cereal, and seasonal fruit. After driving an hour and forty-five minutes from the compound, we arrived at the base of a mountain. A grueling two hour hike led us to a secluded community by the name of Brisón. The group enjoyed pasta, rice, and Dominican ice cream in the shade.

Stomachs full, we began the hike back down. Halfway through our descent, we stopped to plant bell pepper seeds in a garden; Dave told us that each seed we planted would yield the U.S. equivalent of twenty-five cents! On the car ride back, everyone enjoyed a nap and the cool breeze. Back at home base, we ate dinner and had our nightly Human Security and Leadership lectures.

To end the day, the group jumped in the pool just before jumping into the bed, with tired calves and rewarded hearts.

New Photos

Bike to Brison

Reforestation Project

3.19.2016

Final Update

All students from the 3.12.2016 program have departed. Thanks to all the students for their incredible participation in the Spring Break program, and to all the family members who supported them!

Check out other stories about teen travel and volunteering on The Young Leader by clicking here.